[pct-l] Re: OK to redefine goals - pct 2003

[cmkudija at earthlink.net (Christine Kudija)]

Linda Gottago,

Welcome home (thought you were hiking the whole thing again!)

Did your podiatrist order the "light, flexible" orthotics?  I used my hard
orthotics for a 4-day short hike earlier this summer with no ill effects but
wonder about a longer hike.  I'm so glad that your foot problems went away
with the adjustments you made this year -

Christine "Ceanothus' Kudija


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Raylinlane@aol.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2003 1:18 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Re: OK to redefine goals - pct 2003


> Peggy,
>
> I thru-hiked the PCT in 2002 wearing light weight boots. I had much pain
in
> one foot in the beginning of the hike (plantar fascitis) and then
different
> kinds of pain and different intensities of pain in both feet over the rest
of my
> hike. Hiking downhill in Washington was absolute torture. I felt as if
someone
> had taken a hammer to the bottoms of both feet.
>
> I took 4 days off in South Lake Tahoe hoping the plantar problem would
> disappear. The pain diminished somewhat. When I resumed hiking, I walked
on the
> outside of the foot trying to alleviate the pain in my heel and arch. Not
good.
>
> Long story short..... After seeing a podiatrist once home, I found out I
had
> 2 stress fractures. One worse than the other. I also could feel nothing in
my
> toes on both feet. The upper portion of my feet were numb. I also had done
> some nerve damage on the plantar problem foot by walking on the outside of
that
> foot. I couldn't separate the last three toes for months. I could move the
toes
> up and down, but couldn't spread them. I could feel the nerve involvement
up
> my leg. Physical therapy and time has cured the spreading problem. The
> numbness problem went away but took about 6 months before my feet felt
normal.
>
> In wanting to have enough protection from the heat of the desert, I had
two
> spenco-type custioning pads glued to the bottom of my orthotics. My
orthotics
> were the hard kind.
>
> This is what I believe contributed to my foot problems based on my
fearbased,
> flawed choices for my first thru-hike.
>
> 1. I wore hard orthotics as opposed to soft orthotics.
> 2. I limited the amount of space above my toes in the toe box area of my
boot
> with the two insulating cushions under my orthotics.
> 3. My foot was limited in its movement in the boots. Hence my tendons and
> ligaments had to work harder than in a running type shoe. And my foot
wasn't
> massaged with each step as it is in a running shoe.
> 4. Wore lightweight hiking socks and a liner.
> 5. Didn't have a large enough size boot. The boot size I wore was a size
> larger than my normal shoe size but with all I had going on inside my boot
taking
> up room, the boot halfway through my hike probably was too small even
though
> it didn't feel small.
> 6. Perhaps, just maybe, I did too high mileage, especially in Oregon!!!!
> 7. Oh, and jogging a little downhill to make good mileage in a day.
>
> Of course this is only my opinion on my foot problems. But interestingly
> enough, I had NO foot problems when I hiked the 1000 miles of the PCT this
year.
> This year I chose to wear running shoes, one pair of socks, double lined,
had
> lightweight flexible orthotics made, and wore (thanks to Yogi's
suggestion) a
> running shoe 1 1/2 sizes larger than my foot. It was   wonderful to walk
and
> not have any pain. A friend of mine, Capetown Jenny, who had walked the AT
in
> lightweight boots and had had pain during and after her hike, was the
person who
> convinced me to try running shoes. She also hiked the PCT in 2002 in
runnning
> shoes and had no foot pain.
>
> With regards to re-entry to the "real" world after my hike, I had/have
> trouble. Rather than get into all my personal stuff online, please email
me and we
> will talk. Personal stuff aside, I had/have trouble with re-entry after
this
> year's 1000 miles of the PCT too. I can't think about anything else but
planning
> another hike. (I will be posting soon looking for partners for the CDT
2004,
> btw. Any takers? Info about me: lindajeffers.com)
>
> I miss life thru-hiking. I now wish I hadn't gotten off the trail in
Sonora
> Pass. I know it was right for me. I am happy at home. But, when I talk to
Yogi
> from the trail, I wish I were out there too. I don't know. These days it
seems
> where ever I am, I want to be doing the opposite. If I'm on the trail, I
want
> to be off the trail and vice versa. Crazy times. I just love the
mountains. I
> miss them.
>
> Enough.
>
> Thanks for your post. Misery loves company. Only kidding. But I do enjoy
not
> being the only with...whatever related hiking problems or situations. Then
I
> don't feel like my case is different.
>
> Gottago - Linda
>
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